Slade now, Slade Tomorrow, Slade forever
by Deathstroke-Slade-Assassin
Summary: Slade's back, and after the way the Titans defeated him, he wants his revenge. But his most important job is finishing what he started. Lucky for him, two birds with one stone certainly applies to the situation.
1. Chapter 1: Return

If anyone believes that I am not doing any of these characters justice, please let me know. Your feedback is appreciated and will be taken under consideration.

ROBIN

"you know, Robin. I really didn't think I would ever see you again." the man from the shadows said as he supposedly paced circles around the room. Invisible.

"And I don't think you ever thought you would see me." Robin could hear the words being said from the center of wherever he was, but couldn't find out where it was coming from. He frantically flicked his head from side to side, determined to find the mask he knew would be there. The mask haunting his dreams. The mask that he couldn't get away from. Slade's metal mask of horrors.

"You can't win Slade. Give up now, and you won't get too badly broken." Slade's monotone laugh echoed throughout the large, nameless room.

"And how many times have I heard THAT, Robin. "You can't win." It makes me tear up every time."

"Well this time Slade, I mean it. "

"Good, Robin. You're finally getting somewhere. but let's see how you do against a REAL nightmare."

Slade's mask flew out of the shadows, and before Robin could act, had clasped itself around Robin's head. Struggle as he might, Robin could not find any seams or clasps that kept the mask in place. He stumbled around the room, and hit a wall which, surprisingly, shattered. He looked up to find a broken mirror, and turned around to see that he was surrounded by the same mirror, in all directions. Watching his own clothes melt away into an exact copy of Slade's. Robin looked at his hands in shock.

"You see Robin," said slaves voice, emanating from all of the mirrors at once. "You're ME now. A REAL nightmare."

Robin jerked up in bed, his whole body covered in sweat. He looked at the clock on his wall. 3:54 AM. Robin closed his eyes, still breathing heavily from his dream. The same dream he had been having every night for months. Robin hated. Himself for not realizing. The first step in recognizing a dream is to think about how you got to where you are. But he always forgot. Robin rolled out of bed and got dressed. He always got up at 5:00 AM, an hour early couldn't hurt. He opened his door and walked down the hallway to his living room, and was about to make himself some waffles. Then he realized that there was a note on the breakfast counter. Robin picked it up, thinking it was a note from his friends INside the tower. But all that was on it, was three words, and Slade's enigmatic symbol. "See you tomorrow"

Writer's note: this is only a test to see if people think I should update, it is my first story, and If people DO think I should keep going, the chapters will be a lot longer.

My love, Anonymous


	2. Chapter 2: Trouble

Robin returned to the tower sweaty and aching from his evening combat training. After most trainings, he feels like that session was the most tiring than any other before it. But each subsequent session, he thought the same thing. He walked through the large doors of the tower, and headed on upstairs to his room to shower.

As he left his room, he found Raven, waiting for him there.

"Hey Raven, what's up?"

"I think that the better questions is, what's up with you?" she replied with the same lack of feeling in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked quizzically, not understanding why she thought anything was wrong.

"Don't try to act as if you don't know. I've been in your head, and you've been in mine. we literally cannot keep secrets from each other."

"Look, Raven. I'm not sure what you're getting at, but i can assure you that everything is fine" Robin said as he began to walk down the hallway with an almost believable tone. Almost.

"What is Slade doing in your dreams Robin?" Raven asked, stopping the Boy Wonder in his tracks. "What is he doing there, and why haven't you told the rest of us?"

"Who have you told" Robin asked, ignoring Ravens questions.

"No one. But if you don't start explaining, i'm going to have to."

"When did you find out?"

"You are mistaken if you think that you are asking the questions here Robin." she said, with more than a little hostility in her voice.

"Raven... Please" Robin said, trying to get her to become a little more complacent.

"Months ago" she replied. "I let is pass because we all know how you get when Slade's involved. But it's been continuing for months now Robin. That doesn't add up."

Robin breathed deeply before replying. "I can't explain it Raven, but I think he's back in Jump City, and I think he's done something to me. Every time I try to remember my parents..." his voice trailed off as small tears formed in his eyes. "Each day, their faces get more fuzzy and distorted." he said finally. "And I don't know why."

Raven backed off a little bit. Robin was one of the most emotionally strong people she had ever met, but when it came to the subject of his parents, even he was liable to break down. "Ok Robin. I believe you. I'll keep trying to isolate the reason that Slade is appearing in your dreams. But for now, I suggest you remove yourself from your dreams, and start watching them from outside yourself. If that makes sense."

"It does Raven, thanks."

"No problem" Raven said as she began to walk to her room.

"Oh, and Raven" Robin said, getting her attention. "Keep this between us will you?" She didn't reply, but as she turned Robin could see her nod her head, hopefully agreeing to his secrecy.

That night, Raven linked her mind with Robin's, allowing her to enter Robins dreams and watch the events play out in more detail than she had previously been able to. At first, all she saw was black. Until the setting faded into existence. Robin stood in the center of a dark room the size of a warehouse. Large metal gears turned in the distance while a low whirring could be heard closer to Robin. And then entered Slade. And as the scene began to unfold, Raven knew that it was not a dream. But a manufactured creation from Slade's endless arsenal of schemes and plots.


	3. Chapter 3: Planning

"I have called this meeting because there is something very seriously wrong inside Robin's head." Raven began. "Lately, he has been getting... Nightmares... Or at least, that is the only way to put it that makes any sense. In truth however, someone has broken into his mind, and through his dreams has been training him in combat." the faces of everyone in the room turned from tired as it was the middle of the night, to complete confusion, as they tried to figure out who could possibly be the one behind it.

"Why nightmares?" asked Cyborg. If they were just him getting a training session while he sleeps, it wouldn't exactly be a problem. But why are his dreams, nightmares?"

Because they star the one person that Robin cannot stand to face."

"Who?" asked Starfire. "If someone has broken into friend Robin's dreams, then we must break him free!" Instantly, everyone shushed her quiet.

"If what Raven said is true, then we cannot let Robin know what is happening" Cyborg said. "It's pretty obvious that he doesn't know now, and if we tell him he might try to avoid sleep entirely."

"agreed" said Raven

"who was the guy you said was in all of his dreams. Because if it's that Phobia lady, I wanna get her number." said Beast Boy, with a grin on his fatigued face.

"This is no time for jokes. Beast Boy," Raven said, her tone not tired, but as if steel. "His dreams have been invaded by Slade." Everyone groaned, remembering the pain they has suffered the last time Slade had singled out Robin for some unknown purpose.

"So he's really back, huh?"

"Yes, he's really back. And for some reason, he's trying to make Robin a better fighter." Raven said, pondering the answer to a dangerous riddle.

"Do you think he's trying to recruit him again?" said Cyborg. "You know, make him his apprentice?" he said with air quotations around "apprentice."

"I thought that Robin made it crystal clear that he wanted nothing to do with Slade. Ever." said Beast Boy.

"What do you think Starfire?" said Raven. "You've been quiet, but you know more about Robin than anyone. Do you think he would ever go back to working for Slade?"

"I... I..." she barely stuttered. "I have to go" she quickly said before pushing out her chair and flying down the hall to her room and closed her door, at which point the audible sounds of deadbolts sliding across could be heard.

"What's her deal!?" exclaimed Beast Boy.

"Last time Slade tried to do something with Robin, she came close to suicidal" said Raven.

"Like... metaphorical suicidal?" asked Cyborg.

"No." Stated Raven, as her eyes slowly pointed towards the floor. "Literal suicidal. A successive "Woah" came from both Beast Boy and Cyborg.

"Are you for real? She almost killed herself?!" Cyborg asked Raven loudly as he leaned forward to listen more intently.

"If not for me, easing her pain, I'm afraid that she might have, yes. She loves Robin more than anything else on this earth, if Robin DOES end up going back to Slade, I might have to put her in a coma to stop her from doing anything ridiculous."

"I can't believe that it actually almost went to that." Said Beast Boy slowly, trying to get his head around someone as positive and optimistic as Starfire actually committing suicide.

"Look, it's been a long 20 minutes, but we actually got through everything I had planned. Let's all get some sleep, and continue this discussion later when Starfire is feeling better." Both Beast Boy and Cyborg nodded in agreement. The three of them said their goodnights, and each went off in a different direction to go to their rooms. None of them noticing the cameras following their every move.

"Everything is almost in place" Slade said to himself happily as he left his glowing monitor room. "Soon I will have what I need, and then I will be ready to ascend to glory." Slade could almost picture himself laughing like a maniac, his screams echoing across the metal melter. "Oh, what's the point of life if you don't live a little?" he said quickly before doing exactly what he I visioned, and laughed so hard and merrily that the Joker would have been jealous.

Thank you for your helpful feedback Kittcoe. It is appreciated and I would be most thankful if you submitted much the same type of feedback/feedforward on THIS chapter, and perhaps all others.

P.S I hope that i didn't make this ending seem rushed, but if so, then I apologize.


	4. Chapter 4: Reveal

First of all, Kittcoe, thanks again for the amazing feedback. The main reason I started writing fan fiction was to become a better writer in general, and who better to ask for help than the people who read it!? Continuing from that, I'm still undecided how long the chapters are going to be/how often I update. Would you guys prefer short chapters more often, longer chapters less often, or for me to work my butt off and make longer chapters more often? Leave your answers in the comments. END PERSONAL NOTE

His parent were flying through the air. Majestically tumbling and Rolling as if they could control the very air they moved through. Dick Grayson stood outside the circus ring as his parents executed their trapeze act flawlessly. Dick looked up in awe at his parents, his role models, his idols, stunned the audience with their death defying dance. Swing, release, tumble, twirl, catch. The audience practically screamed their lips off with approval. His mother just let go of a swing, somersaulting before being caught, handin hand with her husband. And then the rope began to rip. Time slowed down. Making every second last a thousand years. Young Dick Grayson watched in explicit detail as his idols fell, hands firmly entwined together. And at the very instant that they hit the ground...

Raven bolted into a sitting position. She glanced at the dark antique clock on her wall. 2:15 AM. "what the Azar was that about" she thought to herself. She rubbed her eyes, still tired, and shrugged. She would take it up with Robin in the morning, unsure if she saw Slade in the audience, or whether it was a figment of her imagination. "Tomorrow" she thought to herself, as this was indeed something for tomorrow. For now though, sleep...

"Ok team," whispered Robin, making sure that his voice couldn't be heard over the construction site. "Just like we practiced. Teen Titans, GO!" The five of them jumped over the section of collapsed wall to ambush the Hive Five. Robin faced off Private Hive, being the only two without super powers, while beast boy transformed into an octopus to catch the multiple Billys that were running around everywhere. Raven and Kyd Wykkyd were teleporting all over the place, while Cyborg got into a muscle match with Mammoth. And the final Titan to get into battle, Starfire was in an aerial pursuit of the jet-packing Gizmo.

"Show me what you got!" shouted Cyborg, as he blasted mammoth off his feet with a sonic cannon blast. "You got nuthin' on me" he said to himself as a wall fell on his opponent, completely confident in his ability to beat the brainless mammoth.

"Hey Billy, look what I found!" said Billy.

"And what's that Billy?" Replied Billy.

"Well Billy, it seems to me that our mutual friend Billy gone got us some sushi!"

"You know Billy, I DO love me some- yhaa!" Billy said as Beast boy rounded up the Billys around him and mushed them into a ball of unconscious clones.

"No one uses ME as seafood" said Beast Boy, finally triumphant.

Raven kept gaining distance over Kyd Wykkyd, but whenever she got into reach, he faded into the walls like he was never there. "ENOUGH" demanded Raven, as her two hidden eyes came into visibility and turned red. The whole world blinked into infinite darkness for only a moment, but when things returned to normal, the remaining of the Hive Five were unconscious on the gravel. Except Robin and Private Hive were unseen anywhere.

"Robin?" said Starfire, almost desperately. "Robin, please return to us..." she said a little louder.

"Look up there" pointed Cyborg. At the very top of the unbuilt skeleton of the 40 story building. Robin was holding the Private over the edge by the scruff of his neck.

"No time to run" said raven, as the darkness blinked in, and out of existence, by which time they were also on the same level as Robin. "Robin, STOP" said Raven.

"What are you DOING man?" said Cyborg. "He's beat, I mean just looks at his face!" referring to black blue and red mess of a face that belonged to a living Private Hive. Barely living that is.

"He's a villain." Stated Robin coldly. "Villains must be stopped, and what better way than just letting go..."

"Robin," said Starfire. "Robin do not-" she stopped mid sentence as she dove off the building after the falling Private Hive. Robin turned, only to get tackled to the ground by a full speed Cyborg.

"What do you think you're doing man?!" growled Cyborg as the two titans wrestled. Robin kicked Cyborg off of him and stood in a combat stance completely different from his usual.

"I am getting rid of a villain that Jump City will be better without." He spat. "And if you can't see that, then I'll get rid of you too." Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven just stared. And then they attacked. Beast Boy as a rhino going straight ahead, only to be jumped over and tricked into running right off the edge of the floor. Cyborg got his aim right and fired multiple shots, missing all and in return receiving a metal boot in the face. Raven, taking no chances just clicked her metaphorical fingers and put Robin unconscious. He fell face first into the steel sheet, and started snoring loudly.

"Why is Robin acting like this?" asked Starfire, on the verge of tears as she landed uncertainly on the ground. "The Private Hive is in the hospital, but I do not..."

"Don't worry Star" said Cyborg. "Well find out why Robin is acting like this."

"And who is Robin?" said Slade, almost appearing out of the shadows, making the four conscious titans jump so hard Beast Boy hit his head against a metal beam.

"Slade..." said Raven.

"For now, yes. But soon, I will not be." said Slade.

"What do you mean?" said Beast Boy.

"The name Slade is a title my green friend. And I am almost ready to pass it on." The four titans couldn't understand what they were hearing.

"Starfire, get Robin out of here." said Cyborg. Star fire said nothing but swooped down and flew off with Robin in her arms.

"Why are you here?" Raven said menacingly. "Why are you telling us this?"

"It's simple really." said Slade, almost amused. "I want to see the tians collapse as their leader is taken from them. And I want to see them attempt to stop Slade. This one, the next, the Slade a thousand years from now. It matters not, as either way, you will fail."

"Explain yourself, NOW." said Cyborg.

"My name, is Slade, for now. In the Beggining, there was a man named Deathstroke." said Slade, almost proud of being in this moment. "He was a master in all forms of combat. His intelligence could easily rival that of any other on earth at the present time. But soon, he realized that he is mortal, and that he will eventually die. So, naturally, he chose an apprentice." he paused to see if the titans had anything to say.

"Continue the story" said Cyborg, with his teeth clenched. Gaining a chuckle from Slade.

"To his apprentice, he gave the name, Slade. To Slade, he tought everything he knew. His apprentice was obedient. Smart. Strong. Fast." and as his head turned slightly, "Lethal. And on a small parchment, Deathstroke wrote his instructions for his apprentice to read and follow. But only to be read once he died. And it said, "Find the next. Teach him. Train him. And once he is ready, give him your name, and ascend to mine."" The titans stared, with mouths open.

"You're..."

"Yes titans. I am Slade. Slade has lived for thousands of years, and I will NOT be the one to let him die. Robin will become Slade. Whether he wants to, or not."

"Robin will NEVER become Slade." said Beast Boy. "NEVER."

"As I said before," said Slade. "Who is Robin?" before suddenly leaping off the building.

"Oohhhh no" said the three titans, looking at each other for a few seconds, before taking Slade's lead and sprinting off the construction site, trusting the police to take care of the Hive Five. And even if not, it could wait...

!P.S this chapter is around twice as long as my last, is this a good size?!


	5. Chapter 5: Forgotten

**Just something of a personal note before I get into the story. It was brought up in the comments that it would be a good idea to bring Batman into the story. I would just like a metaphorical show of hands in the comments of weather the viewers (you) would indeed like this to happen. Now, back to the story...**

"Oh Robin." Starfire said to herself. "what have you gotten yourself into this time." she paced around the medical bay, where Robin was strapped down into a bed, not letting him move a single arm, leg, or his head. He was completely strapped down, but Starfire knew that it couldn't stop Robin. He was smart, fast, strong. And when she thought about it, Starfire had to admit that he was rather lethal when he wanted to be. "What has enemy Slade done to you?" she asked him, not expecting a reply. But utterly shocked when she got one.

"He has opened my eyes to the tyranny of the titans." Robin said. "And he is no enemy, my father is the most powerful man on earth, and you, nor anyone else can stop him."

"Robin! Why do you say such things Robin, why do you speak of Slade like this?"

"I don't know who this "Robin" is, but I am most certainly not him, and if I knew him? I'd kill him just to make you watch." Starfire stood still, mouth agape in utter shock and disbelief.

"I cannot..." she began, before sprinting out the medical bay and into the living room, where she found the rest of the titans bounding towards her. They all stopped towards her, with Cyborg and Beast Boy out of breath.

"Where?" asked Cyborg, in between breaths.

"In there" she said pointing to the door she had just exited from. "But I do not think-" she began as Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg sprinted past her, breaking the door and stopping in front of Robin.

"So how are we gonna get Robin out of Slade's reach?" asked Beast Boy.

"I'm going to try to get inside his mind and shield him from any mental attacks." said Raven, before closing her eyes. She stayed hover, cross-legged in the air for a few seconds before her eyes flew open and a magnificent scream escaped her lips.

"You'll find it quite impossible to get into my brain empath." Robin said. "Try it again and see where it gets you." he said with a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"Who are you?!" Cyborg basically screamed at him.

"It's very simple really." He began. "I'm Slade's son." After saying which he laughed maniacally at the faces made by the titans.

"I think we should have a little chat outside" said Raven.

"Good idea" said Cyborg, his teeth tightly clenched once again. The four of them left Robin alone, and went into the living room. Beast Boy started saying "What are we going to-" but was interrupted by a police siren.

"COME OUT, WITH YOUR HANDS UP" said a megaphone amplified voice.

"What could they- oh damn, they saw Robin on TV didn't they?" said Cyborg. "We better go clear the air huh?" he said. The four of them walked outside to meet with the 50 or so police officers surrounding Titans tower in police boats. Rhey walked in a one towards the police, before a man started blaring instructions at them.

"Stay there, with yours hands behind your heads and your selfs apart. You will stay in this position until the fugitive labelled "Robin" has been apprehended" said the chief of police.

"Look man" Cyborg began, but was interrupted by the chief.

"One more step, and we will open fire!" he said as half the police force broke off from the main group to search the tower, when the window of the medical bay burst open, with an unbound Robin flying through. "Robin, stop right there or we WILL attack!" said the chief. Robin simply ignored everything he was saying, and landed on one of the boat drivers, knocking him unconscious and speeding away at top velocity. The chief ordered his men out of the tower and had them head on out in pursuit. He then turned to face the titans. "What on earth happened to him?" he asked them.

"Honestly?" Cyborg replied. "We have no clue."

"AHA!" Cyborg explained as he jumped up from his supercomputer. He clicked a button on his arm, which then turned into a microphone. "Guys," he said. his voice echoing all around the tower. "Meet me at central monitor, I think I've found something!" he finished excitedly, before speeding off.

"If intercepted three highly camouflaged signals from an unknown source, to Titans tower, and I've also found out what they do." Cyborg said to the group. "And you are NOT going to like it." he continued. "The first signal was intended to make Robin see things. Raven, when you thought you were actually watching a dream of his, you were watching what he was seeing because of this signal. The second signal was intended to induce amnesia, which it did. Robin said he couldn't remember his parents? That was because of this signal of Slade's. And the final signal is by far the most disturbing."

"Spare no detail Cyborg" said Raven. "If we are to combat this new "Robin" then we must know why he is acting the way he is.

"He's acting the way he is, because Slade has replaced his memories." Cyborg said flatly.

"What?!" exclaimed Beast Boy as Starfire's face turned milky white.

Cyborg once again took the lead. "Slade's entire plan WAS to get Robin to be his apprentice. But Robin wouldn't do it, so he got rid of him. Remove his old memories, taking away his sense of right and wrong. Make him forget all about who he is. Add new memories making him think he is someone else, which in this case is Slade's son. And make him think that he is the evil psychopathic son of a wanted killer."

"So... Robin is..." Raven said slowly.

"Yes Raven. Robin is dead."

/ / / / / /

Reece Wilson woke up in a stretcher inside a dark, large warehouse. The creaking and rumbling of large metal gears at work could be heard in the distance. Reece got up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, before jumping off and stumbling towards a doorway. He tripped in his clumsy, dizzy, blurry state, and fell towards the ground until he was caught by a firm set of hands. Reece looked up at the black and coper mask of the man that had caught him. "Oh my Son, you're finally awake."


	6. Chapter 6: New Face

"You were in a coma" Slade began. "You had an at-the-time incurable brain disease that made you constantly get fits of amnesia"

"I... I remember" said Reece Wilson.

"You do?" Said Slade. "Excellent. My newest attempt at curing you must have worked.

"How long ago?" Reece asked.

"I put you in a coma six months ago" replied Slade. "Just before we were going to steal the millennium drive." Reece's eyes widened.

"Have you stolen it yet?" he asked impatiently.

"Not just yet, getting you back on your feet was top priority."

"So Slade Reece is back on track?"

"That's not how it works my son. When we eventually do begin your final stages of training, your name will be long forgotten. When you become the manifestation of the identity Slade, you will keep your last name and replace your first name with Slade."

"So I, like you, will be Slade Wilson?"

"Indeed" Slade finished. "And then my last name will be all but ashes, as i move on to become Deathstroke." Reece looked in awe at his father, and his devious smile began to creep wider.

/ / / / / /

"Starfire, calm down. You're scaring us..." said Beast Boy, trying to comfort the panicking Tamaranean. "We'll get him back, I promise" Starfire's eyes glowed green in Uncontrollable rage.

"DO NOT PROMISE ME WHAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL" her voice boomed about the tower, making bits of printed research fly around the living room. Until her eyes drooped downwards into sadness. "Just bring my Robin back to me..." she said as she hugged her legs, crying into her knees, her voice now small and pitiful. So much so, that Beasst Boy's eyes began to tear up.

"Raven!" he shouted. "You know what you said before about-" he was cut off by the half of the room containing Starfire turning black for a moment, leaving a sleeping Starfire in it's wake when it left. "Thanks Raven!" he said again before leaving the room.

/ / / / / / / / / / /

"I am going to give you a very easy mission, as you have only just begun to recuperate. Even in this condition, it should be no more than a simple, leisurely walk in the park." Slade led the young apprentice into a room with no light but a circular hanging bulb, illuminating a single bLack marble table. "In this room, you are no longer my son." Slade began. "This room will be used for intelligence training. Combat training. And mission briefing. Inside this room, your name is gone. You are my apprentice, and I am your master. Understood?"

"Yes master." The apprentice said flatly.

"But apart from that, while on a mission, you are no longer my son, nor my apprentice. You are a tool. A weapon, a thief, an assassin." he handed his son a mask, made of copper, except for the mark of a black hand, spread out across the middle, reaching the edges. "Slade's Black Hand" the apprentice eagerly accepted his new name.

"I am Black Hand. I am the weapon of the identity Slade." he said, almost in a trance.

"Good." said Slade. Happy with how is extreme deception has played out. "And as your first mission, I want you to send a message to the titans."

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Black Hand's intercom started to buzz. "For your first objective, I want you to break into the tower, without setting off the silent, or audible alarms. How you do it is up to you. Get it done." and with a click, the apprentice knew that Slade had turned it off. He started by climbing up the exterior of the tower. His master had provided all the necessary information for him to get the job done, the rest was up to him. He reached a maintenance box, hidden behind a ventilation shaft on the roof, and cycled the security systems, causing them to turn off for a half hour before rebooting. He then climbed through the ventilation, and using a well timed Razor disk, opened the access hatch directly outside the room belonging to Raven. He silently put a single finger on the intercom inside his ear.

"First objective complete."

"Excellent, now I want you to set up the surprise, and when you leave, trigger ALL of the alarms."

"Yes master" said the apprentice, before eagerly getting to work.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

"INTRUDER ALERT, MAIN MONITOR ROOM UNDER ATTACK, MAIN MONITOR ROOM UNDER ATTACK." All four of the titans sped out of their rooms, and raced to the monitor room. They all reached it, to find a small wooden box lying on the table.

"Yo, Cy, turn off that flipping alarm will you?!" Beast Boy yelled, struggling to be heard over the alarm.

"O. K!" Cyborg shouted over the noise. He tapped his arm a few times, and the security system shut off. Starfire picked up the box.

"I do not think we should open it..." said Starfire uncertainly. "It can only be bad for us..."

"Go to sleep Starfire." said Raven. "We'll get this sorted."

"Very well." said the Tamaranean. And she flew slowly out of the room.

"Open the box" said Cyborg. Raven carefully creeped the lid of the box open, almost dropping it when she saw its contents. It contained Robin's mask, the simple, mysterious mask worn by the boy wonder. And then, amidst the silence that followed the reveal, it burst into flames, leaving the ashes of the hero behind. The three titans in the room became overcome with anger. Slade, this new evil Robin, someone had intentionally left this here for them to find. Raven was about to completely lose control, when they heard a scream coming from down the hall. They all ran faster than they had ever before, to find Starfire trembling against the far corner of her room, muttering

"I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore, I can't take it..." And in the centre of the room, was a scarecrow with a mask. A mask made of copper, imprinted with a black hand at its centre. And with a knife, carved unmissable into Stafires wall, read "THE NEW FACE OF EVIL-THE BLACK HAND OF SLADE"

/ / / / / / / / / / /

P.S does this answer your question Kittcoe?


	7. Chapter 7: Plan Of Attack

**Thank you again Kittcoe for the constructive feedback, which will be taken under consideration. Looking back on it, I can see how I may have overlooked some of the "inside" feelings of some of the characters/neglected to explain how different characters feel in any particular moment in time. I would however like to stress that I am not THAT good a writer. I'm just some guy sitting at his desk with a laptop, TRYING to get better. If anyone, and I mean it, ANYONE thinks that there is an aspect of my writing that I can improve, please let me know. I both encourage, and expect it. - My thanks.**

 **/ / / / / / / / / / / / /**

Cyborg paced the room, a large mixture of negative emotions flying around his circuits. "The way I see it," he said, not stopping his pace. "We have a decision to make, of which there are three options." The rest of the group, while listening intently, played nervously with anything they could get their hands on. Raven was anxiously tapping on the table, while Beast Boy was fiddling with a pen. Stafire however, was as still as a block of stone, looking into space. "After that decision" Cyborg continued, "We have another decision to make, which also has three options."

"Let me guess..." Raven said rhetorically, fed up with how slow they were taking this meeting. They should have been out in the city by now, not still idly talking about specifics. "How we're going to get "The Black Hand," and what to do with him when we do."

"Pretty much" said Cyborg, dropping his usual friendly tone for a voice inside him that he never thought he would hear. The voice of an inanimate object. The voice of a robot.

"What are the three options we have for "containing" Robin-I mean, The Black Hand?" Asked Beast Boy, suppressing his nervousness.

"Three options" Cyborg began, confident in his speech, but not happy about it's topic. "Option one, we radio in all of the honorary titans that we have communication with, getting them all to report to Jump City tower, where we will pull the city apart to find him" He paused to see if anyone had anything to say. They did not. "Option two, we don't ask anyone for help, and we continue doing what we do, alone" He paused again. "And option three... After the business with Brother Blood and the Titans East, Robin told me something that I was to keep secret unless absolutely neccessary." The rest of the group stopped with their nervous ticks, all overly interest in what Cyborg was saying.

"And that is..." Beast Boy said, making a circular gesture with his hand

"And that secret was a box. He told me that if he was to ever leave, disappear, or become, you know. Evil. He said that I was to, you know, be the acting leader until a new one had been picked." He stopped expecting the rest of them to argue that they would have been better to lead the Titans

"Keep going" Raven urged impatiently.

"And he also told me that if things ever turned their worst, if he - or if he had been killed - if someone else couldnt be beaten, then I would open the box and call a hero that we could rely on to virtually take Robin's place in the fight against them."

"Who" said Starfire, making the group jump as she had been completely silent since the incident with the mask. "Who is this hero."

"He's Batman" Cyborg said, earning the widened eyes of the rest of the team in response. "So these are the options" he continued. "What one should we use?"

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

Among other things, Reece was in a cheerful mood. When the alien girl with the red hair walked into her room, Reece was hiding inside the air vent, watching. The look he saw on her face was incredible. It was so much so, that he almost laughed out loud. Reece walked through the sewers on his way to smelter, when he heard something behind him. So faint that should he have been anywhere else he would not have heard, but here, in this silence. It was the only sound there was. Reece didn't stop walking. Whoever was behind him thought that they had an advantage over him, and he would like to keep it that way. He turned a corner in the underground maze, and jumped onto a pipe in the ceiling, flattening himself between the pipe and the concrete ceiling, hiding him from view. Soon enough, a group of people walked down the sewer path, single file and trying (though failing) to be quiet. Reece was about to jump down silently and continue the way he had come, but it was not his favorite group of meta humans after all. It was the hive five. Missing Private Hive of course, but Reece would still enjoy what is to come. "My lucky day" he thought to himself as he jumped off the pipe and came up behind the five. "You shouldn't follow me" he said to the group as he strided confidently towards them. The group turned and looked at him.

"And why is that "Princess?" said Mammoth with a pathetic attempt to insult him.

"Because you'll only get hurt" he said with a sympathetic, caring tone. And he smiled so hard that it may have been visible through his mask.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"The ambulances are now driving to Jump City Penitentiary, where the notorious "Hive Five" will be taken in police custody under high security protection. All that the police were able to gain from the four villains was the words "mask" and "Robin" though those words don't necessarily fit together to form a story, reporter Jim Hanesy is on his way to the Titans Tower to ask the titans themselves, what is going on" Beast Boy flipped off the TV as he yelled to the rest of the group

"Yo guys! I think we got a situation!"

"What is it!?" Cyborg yelled back.

"Robin, I mean the black han- oh you know what I mean. He killed someone!" Insatntly, Beast Boy heard the heavy thud of Cyborg sprinting down the corridor.

"HE WHAT!" Cyborg exclaimed as he read the highlights at the bottom of the screen. Gizmo - fourth degree concussion - Possible brain damage. "OK, this has gone on far enough!" thundered Cyborg as he walked off to his room.

"What are you doing man?!" Asked Beast Boy from across the hallway.

"What I should have done a while ago. I'm calling for backup."

"But we decided"

"WE DIDN'T DECIDE SHIT!" Yelled Cyborg, finally losing his temper completely.

"We trusted a guy, who just KILLED someone Beast Boy! We have never let someone actually DIE before. That alone tells me that we need help." he walked into his room and removed the wooden box, much like the one containing robins burned mask. He opened it, and pressed a button. "Batman's on his way"


	8. Chapter 8: Assault

**Just a quick note before I begin: sorry for being so late on the update. I had a lot going on, and all I can say is that it is NOT worth getting windows ten... Flipping updates took four hours. Anyway, back to the story.**

 **/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /**

"HYYYAAAAH!" Black Hand yelled as he palm striked the robot combat dummy in its chest, sending the humanoid bot back nearly ten paces. He got his breathing under control and stood ready in position, almost able to hear his masters advice from hours before.

"In combat, your greatest tool is your mind. Play with your enemies' emotions, and drive them to commit radical and unwise decisions. Make sure however, that you in turn give nothing away for them to use against you. Steady hand, calm breath, ready stance." Black Hand waited for the bot to get nearer to him, around two steps away, before he leapt into action. He jumped forward and slid underneath the blade that flew horizontally towards him, before jumping into a backwards somersault and kicking off the slow moving robots back. After landing, he turned and threw his staff clean through the robot's head, creating a small hole right through it's singular glowing red eye.

"Excellent work Apprentice." Slade said, seemingly, (fakely) very proud of his son. "You are advancing far faster than I had hoped. My programming skills have now become insufficient to train you" this comment brought a smile to the young Apprentices' masked face. "As such, you will now be fighting ME for your training exercises." and that comment wiped the smile faster than the Apprentice was proud of. "But first," Slade continued, "A mission." and the Apprentices' smile was brought back.

"The titans?" he asked eagerly. And Slade nodded his head slowly.

"That and MORE" the master finished, knowing that his Apprentice was smiling wickedly. "So much more..."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"I still don't like that you went behind our backs Cyborg" said Raven condescendingly as she looked around the basement. Empty. except for the two of them. "But what's done, is done. And we may as well make the best of it." She looked to see what Cyborg's face portrayed, but only to find it blank. As an empath, she knew exactly what he was thinking. Guilt. Determination. Serenity. Even his computerized brain couldn't keep up with magic. "When willl he get here?" Raven asked him.

"I don't know Raven" he said back. "But I would expect him to be here soon. I'm pretty sure that his conscience won't let him take too long, not when... _His_ life is on the line."

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Bruce Wayne lay in his large bed, eyes closed, completely straight. If he moved his arms slightly, he would probably look like an Egyptian mummy. Bruce liked the quiet moments he got. Away from all the fighting. Away from Batman. Away from the chaos of everyday life. Moments like this one. Moments he wished could last forever. _Beep Beep._ Sadly though, they do not. Bruce got up quickly and tried to identify the source. None was to be found, and it didn't sound like a crime alert in Gotham. Bruce turned to get back into bed, before the beeping intensified. _Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep._ Bruce looked around frantically, paranoid that there was a bomb his room. And then his attention was brought to his silver and gold watch on his bedside table. He picked it up and found that glowing on the face of the clock was the symbol of the Teen Titans and the words: ROBIN GONE ROGUE flashing in red. He dropped the watch, and was out of the room before it hit the floor. He scribbled a quick message for Alfred and sped into the Bat-Cave to get ready. There could be NO delay.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"GUYS!" Cyborg shouted across the tower, waking them all up with his megaphone enhanced voice. "LEVEL ONE SITUATION!" he yelled again, confident that knowing it was a Black Hand related alert. Very soon, one by one, the three other members of the team turned up to the main monitor.

"What's going on?" Raven said, concerned about what they were going to have to do to stop The Black Hand.

"He's broken into the Starlabs complex on the south-east side." Cyborg replied as he navigated the map on the screen to show a smoking series of buildings.

"Then what are we still doing here?" Beast Boy asked

"I have NO idea" Cyborg replied menacingly, as he pictured his friend-now-enemies' face. The four Titans turned to run out the large doors of the tower, when Raven realized something, and turned to face Starfire.

"Starfire." she said, gaining the Tamaranean's attention. "I think you should sit this one out." Raven continued.

"Why would I do this?" Starfire asked Raven fakely confident, her voice close to breaking by the end of the sentence. But she looked at the face given to her by Raven and knew she was right. "Very well" she said, as her eyes slid to the floor. "I shall stay and monitor the rest of you. Raven gave Starfire a look of gratitude and flew off into the distance as a shimmering midnight black apparition, by which time Starfire turned and walked sheepishly back into the tower.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg arrived at the complex, watching the flames curling upwards from the now ruined science laboratory. "Where" Cyborg said with that same menacing voice that gave Beast Boy chills. Throughout this whole ordeal Beast Boy had changed, and he knew it. He stopped cracking jokes. He stopped messing around. He didn't like what he had become, but it's not something you can walk through and come out the other side, unscathed. He figured it's just what happens when you lose a friend.

"There!" Raven exclaimed, gesturing towards the roof of the burning building, where two smoky black figures fought each other.

"Is that...?" Beast Boy asked to the wind.

"It is!" Cyborg said unbelievably, confirming that Slade and Robin were fighting.

"Do you really think its Robin?" Beast Boy asked the other two. "Is he really back?"

"I don't know" Raven replied. "But either way, we help Robin" she said. Not hearing any complaints, she burst into action, flying towards the battle while also making black a black disk to carry Cyborg, knowing Beast Boy won't need one. The whole while, feeling the overwhelming urge to let loose and show her four hidden glowing red eyes.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Reece shouted furiously at Slade while kicking him a few feet back, before bringing his inhibitions back under control. " My whole life is a lie." he said more calmly. "And you knew THE WHOLE TIME."

"I did know," Slade replied. "But it was for the best. At the time, I knew you would be the greatest incarnation of Slaed that had ever existed. Better than me, and ALL of my predecessors."

"You can take that plan and go to hell with it" Reece spat at him while removing his mask and throwing it at him. " I don't want anything to do with you. EVER."

"Robin!" Cyborg yelled over the hell-bound fury of the fire below the catwalk on which they fought. "Robin! Is that you!?"

"I don't know who "Robin" is. But help me end Slade, and I'll be anyone you want me to be." Reece said back to him, eyeballing Slade the whole time.

"Sounds good to me" Cyborg replied, his hand turning into a sonic blaster.

"Me too" Raven said, hovering above the scene, shadows at the ready.

"Me too" Beast boy said, cracking his knuckles before turning into a rhino.

"What'll it be _Slade_ "Reece said to the man on the opposite end of the catwalk. "Is THIS a good time?"

"I think it's perfect." Slade replied. Upon which time Reece turned and threw static disks at the three titans behind him. Each disk hit its mark, and the Titans went down screaming and writhing from the electrical charge now flowing through them.

"No!" Starfire screamed at the three monitors she was watching, showing her whatever her fellow Titans saw or heard.

"Too easy" Black Hand said as he retrieved his mask, and bound the titans with specialized systems to negate their powers. Then he turned and looked right into- no, THROUGH Raven eyes, right into Starfire's. Then he smiled, and laughed. Then a blurry shape flew from outside Starfire's field of view, and all became still. And one by one, the feed from monitors Starfire was viewing got cut off, showing the final thing the cameras saw. The Black Hand laughing at her through the monitor.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Starfire turned off the screen, and pulled her feet onto the chair, and began to hug her legs. Her eyes had still tears in the corners, and her mouth lay open and unmoving. "Is this what I was destined for?" she thought to herself. Love, loose, despair, grieve, die? And her thoughts turned to the kitchen, specifically towards the largest, longest blade they had. "Apparently so" she thought grimly, only wanting to escape the aching in her heart. She stood up shakily, and turned to retrieve the knife. But stopped dead in her tracks from a black figure in front of her, when a deep, serious voice penetratedd the science as Batman spoke.

"What has happened to my son?"


	9. Chapter 9: Casualties

Reece was more happy now than he has ever been in his life. Firstly, whe he and his father fought eachother to trick the titans, HE had the upper hand. He was beating him! Then there's the fact that they captured three of the four titans anyway. And when his father told him that he was allowed to "interrogate" the bound titans, he was overcome with joy. And yet, something inside him was sad. It nagged at his brain until he realized what it was. This was all too easy. Reece wanted an ACTUAL challenge. Something to really test him. He hoped his master had something like that in store for him. If not, he would have to find his own challenges in his free time. OUTside the walls of the sewers in which they hid.

Reece walked down the narrow passage that led to the old kennels underneath the police station. Reece arrived at the simple decaying door, and pushed it open eagerly, almost breaking the moist, delicate wood. Inside, the three captive titans kneeled, with their hands bound with titanium iron chains to be raised above their heads. "Hello, _Titans_ " Reece jeered. Virtually instantly, the titans tried to scream at him. "Don't bother" he said, loving this moment. He pulled a small disk from out of his pocket. "Its called Sonar De-Amplification. The first of many Soundwave technologies created by MY hand." the titans stopped shouting, giving in to the fact that their capture was absolute. Reece clicked a button on the disk, suspending the silence fields around the titans.

"Let us go Robin" Raven said, figuring out very quickly what he had done. "Let us go and we will make your arrest as quick and as comfortable as-"

"Stop." Reece interrupted, silencing Raven's words. "I have heard that name. That title. That... Thing. So many times" he said as he fetched a wooden chair to sit on. "And I am going to ask you something which, if unanswered, will mean a lot of pain for the three of you." And Reece's eyes narrowed. "Who. Is. Robin?"

/ / / / / / / / / / /

"Who are you?" Starfire asked Batman shakily.

"Unimportant" came the brutal reply. "Where is my son?"

"I do not-"

"THAT IS NOT AN ANSWER" Batman shouted at her while slamming his fist into the nearby table, causing her to shrink back another few steps. "I am going to ask once more, and then you will find out what happens to people that disagree with me. Where, is, Robin." Starfire quickly made the connection.

"The reports" she said quickly, pointing towards a large stack of paperwork detailing Robins descent into the Black Hand. Batman glared at her, obviously waiting for her to say more but, being the detective he is, quickly realized why she did not, and eased up on her.

"I am sorry." he said quietly, apologizing for his ruthless attitude. No one in her position should go through what she did. Knowing what she was about to do before he confronted her, he quickly readied a sleep ring behind his back and walked towards her. He put it across his middle finger and put his hand on her shoulder. "Sleep" he said, his voice back to being the rough rocky voice as usual, and caught Starfire as the drug worked its course, rendering her unconscious. He lay her down on the couch by the largest monitor, where his attention was brought to the large pile of papers. "This is not going to be pleasant..." he thought to himself.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

Reece closed the door, the old hinges creaking loudly. Slade was outside, waiting for him. "And how did it go?" he asked.

"Would have been good..." Reece began. "But i did ask them to tell me something, and the answer _unsettles_ me."

"What are you talking about?" Slade replied, his voice containing no trace of his anxious feelings to what he might hear from Reece's mouth.

"Every time i have fought the titans, they have mentioned an individual known as _Robin_." He paused to see if his master had anything to say. He did not. "And just now, i... interrogated them... to find an answer. And they said..." and Reece looked straight into his master's remaining eye. "They said that he is ME"

"I think you need to rest before i explain everything to you."

"So there IS something weird going on..." Reece said.

"Yes" Slade replied. "But that is for the morning. Go to bed, then in the morning we will talk about it."

"Very well master." Reece said before walking down the hallway.

" _This could be trouble_ " Slade thought to himself as Reece walked away. " _This may call for a repeat..._ "

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Batman worked on for hours, deciphering all the data from the past few weeks. He had set up most of Cyborgs surveillance equipment on the roof, making sure that he did not miss anything. No risks, not here, not now. After first reading the reports of Robin almost killing Private Hive all those weeks ago... It virtually broke him. Or it would have if he hadn't been broken already. He kept reading, when he heard something behind him. He jumped into action, pulling multiple Batarangs out of his utility belt, before relaxing a little. It was just Starfire tossing and turning as she slept. " _Who could blame her?_ " Batman thought to himself. He stood staring into space for a while, before he was swept back into reality by an electronic BLLLLLZZZZT as Cyborg's surveillance equipment fired up. lights flickered on and off, multiple gauges blared red as the needles flew from one side to the other, then back again in a random pattern. "What the" Batman said to himself.

"What is happening?" Starfire said as she sat up from her unconsciousness. "Why does my head hurt?" she said as she place her hands on her head, wincing in pain. Batman ignored the question, instead making the instruments record everything that is being monitored. "What is happening." Starfire said more forcefully, her eyes glowing emerald green.

"An anomaly" Batman replied. "But before i get into that, how do you feel about finding your frie-"

"Yes" Starfire said intently, cutting Batman off. Batman turned and looked her up and down. She was a completely different person from the shy, scared, terrified little alien that she was before. She was confident. Her eyes, while still being red from crying before, were staring daggers at anything and everything.

"You are changed." he said bluntly. "Why?"

"I had a dream." she said. "Robin is has been ripped from his body, and all that is left is not worth the effort of preventing casualties." Batman was in shock, though he didn't show it. "Robin can be burnt to a crisp and eaten by a large Blorthaag for all i care. All i want now is to pay him back the anguish he caused me." She walked to the exit before turning her head slightly. "coming?" she asked, leaving before he could answer.

" _This is not good_ " Batman thought to himself. " _It seems that Robin was the strings keeping this team together. But now that he's gone..."_ Batman shuddered at the thought. " _It seems that Robin is no longer the only one to have been altered by this man, Slade._ "


	10. Chapter 10: Rescue?

Reece was always able to tell dreams from reality. Even as a child, he was never fooled by the far-fetched stories that played through his mind for more than a minute or two. Quickly realizing that the police officers chasing him, and the helicopter guns trained on him were false, and were a construct of his mind, he turned and stared down his attackers. "So you all wish to stop me, huh?" he said with a smile on his face. "Well you can BURN FOR IT" and the planet shook as the blazing inferno blocked out even the sun, and all but himself and the ground he stood on became dust as was swept away with the superheated wind. Laughing maniacly, he released control, and felt his own body burn and wither away. And he enjoyed every last bit of pain that surged through him. And then he stopped, and all was silent. " _Who is in here?_ " he asked himself, hearing the faint footsteps of someone , echoing from everywhere ate once. " _Someone is inside the mill_ " he thought to himself, concerned. Using his control of his dream, he created a gun in front of him, put it to his head and pulled the trigger-

And his eyes shot open, and he sprang upwards to run out the door, and find the intruders before they saw anything that they were not meant to.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"How did you know Slade's base was here?" Starfire whispered confidently as she and Batman walked down a narrow stone corridor leading towards the steel mill.

"My methods are my own, Starfire. Accept it." Batman replied in the same volume.

"Very well." She replied. "But how are you able to track them. The Black Hand removed all devices from their bodies?"

"My trackers are not so easy to find, and are less easy to remove." Batman replied without turning his head. Which earned a frustrated look from Starfire. Without warning, Batman raised his hand flatly. Starfire quickly got the message and stopped, both of them listening to the silence. " _We are being watched_ " Batman whispered so quietly Starfire almost missed it. Batman silently took out a batarang, while Starfire quickly got ready to release powerful beams of light from her hands and eyes. Then shadowy figures ran down the cave like hallway. Starfire created a ball of glowing light, to better allow them to see what was coming, and neither of them was pleased with what they saw. Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg were running towards them, gagged, with their hands bound behind their backs, and shiny black rectangular objects attached to their chests. Each one, counting down from 60.

As they got closer, Batman could see the looks of absolute fear in their faces, and Starfire was shocked that Raven too, had tears in their eyes. "Deathstroke didn't intend for them to survive..." Batman thought to himself as he retrieved three different batarangs from his utility belt, and arched his arm to throw them.

"NO!" Starfire yelled, thinking he was going to attack them. As the batarangs left Batmans fingers, he had to jump back to avoid being tackled by a super-powered alien. The projectiles hit the bombs on the Titan's chests, and the bombs were instantly covered in ice.

"You get the bombs off, and get these three back to your tower for healing. I'LL go after Robin."

"He's not Robin anymore, Batman" Starfire said sympathetically.

"THAT, we shall see" Batman replied as he continued down the ston path.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Batman arrived at a large circuLar room, with gears and cogs spinning and working along the walls and roof. "Hello _Batman_ " Black Hand said from atop a catwalk as Batman walked into view. He stopped leaning against the handrail he was leaning on, and jumped down to land in a crouching position.

"Robin, what have you-"

"Save it Bats, this ain't a chat session. Intruders of this place do not leave here alive." Black Hand said brutally as he got into a fighting stance.

"You can't beat me Robin." Batman said. "And I won't fight you."

"That'll make things easy then, won't it?" Black Hand said as he put on his metallic mask, concealing his smile.

"You don't understand" Batman continued. "You won't fight me either"

"What?" was all that the Black Hand was able to say before he spasmed and collapsed onto the ground, the REAL Batman holding a high voltage taser standing behind him. With the click of a button, the hologram of Batman faded into oblivion, leaving no trace he was even there.

"Handy" Batman whispered to himself before picking up the unconscious villain and putting him over his shoulder, carrying him out of the cave.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"Soooo, Batman has come into the picture... What an exciting final exam for my apprentice" Deathstroke said while interlocking his fingers and leaning against the desk. He had known the whole time that the Black Hand would be tricked. But this was a test to see if he could escape. Death stroke rose and walked out of the room. He had no doubt that in a straight fight Black Hand would easily beat the four titans AND Batman. No one but him knew the true magnitude of his lethality. "And the ability to completely wipe his mind of all things except his training was so amazing, Deathstroke was impressed with himself. "If he ever finds out something he's not supposed to, one push of a button..." Deathstroke thought to himself. "This is going to be the most successful Slade in recorded history..."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

 **Sorry for the HUUUUUUUUUGGGEE gap between updates, my laptop broke and I had to get it fixed. This is also a rather short chapter, but I was eager to update because of my "internet silence" I hope that it is still good enough though...**


	11. Chapter 11: Demons

The only thing that Reece could hear was the intentionally loud buzzing of the overhead lighting. The bag over his head was the only instance of a blind fold that he had ever seen, where nothing you could do could allow you to see through the bottom. Who new such a thing was possible? The black woolen bag was ripped off of his head quickly, making his eyes squint due to the change in brightness. Once they had fully adjusted, he looked around the room. Completely white. No windows. Nothing but him, the chair he was strapped to, and the five adversaries he had come to know and hate. He looked at them, and they looked at him. This was a test. Reece had **NEVER** failed a test before. And he smiled at the daunting challenge ahead of him.

"Who are you" Batman said, stepping forward from the rest of the group as they stepped back to a camouflaged white door, which they exited through.

"I find it disrespectful Batman that you would so quickly remove my mask and show my face. I wonder how it would feel to have the whole world know your identity?" Reece said back.

"We all know who you are already Robin." Batman said as he leaned against the far wall, just out of Reece's sight.

"You know nothing about me." Reece began, interrupted by Batman

"Cyborg and I think we have identified how Deathstroke has managed to do this to you Robin. I'm confident that you can beat this monster and come back to us." Reece looked at him quizzically, not quite understanding. "He's given you a sort of split personality Robin. And to fix it, you have to face the son of the most dangerous assassin that has ever lived. Good luck" And Batman injected Reece with a syringe containing substances unknown. And Reece's vision turned black.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"Will he be alright?" Starfire asked Batman as he exited the makeshift containment room.

"We did a good job with this. If Robin wins the fight, this evil new guy will be long gone." Cyborg replied for Batman as he placed his hands on Starfire's shoulders. "You got nothing to worry about"

"I hope so" Starfire continued. "But what will happen to-"

"Stop the simulation" Raven blurted out.

"What! Why!?" Beast Boy exclaimed

"If we do this, a. Robin could lose and he will be killed or Black Hand will lose and HE will be killed."

"So?" Beast boy said. "We know Robin's gonna win, and who cares if Black Hand dies?"

"We are HEROES Beast Boy. We have to be BETTER than that.

"That's not what the solution is doing Raven, don't worry."

"What?" Cyborg asked unclear as to what they were really doing.

"Every time they touch in the simulation, the two minds will become more merged together."

"So The Black Hand will become one with Robin?" Starfire asked. "I will not-"

"The Black Hand was ALWAYS a part of Robin." Batman interrupted. "He was always there in the back of his mind. His own, evil demon." And at that moment, Reece/Robin screamed out in pain. The five of them turned to see what was happening, when Deathstroke stepped out of the shadows and placed a disk on Batman's shoulder, causing electricity to fly through his body, knocking him unconscious.

"I didn't think that he'd ever find out the truth." Deathstroke said. "I'm surprised, really. But my son does not yet have my drug immunity. He will soon. But I want to see how you four can fare against me without your leader, or that poor excuse for a hero. Give me your best shot."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Black Hand and Robin stared each other down in their respective uniforms. They were standing in a vast expanse of desert, flat and endless. "You can't win _Robin_ " Black Hand said. "I've trained with Slade, now Deathstroke. Soon i will take Slade as my name and will wreak havoc across the world. No place on earth will be free from my grasp."

"Guess what _Reece_ " Robin said. "I was inside you, watching, during all of those training sessions you had with Slade. I know those moves too. But I've trained with Batman. And in a fair fight, Batman would kick Deathstroke's ass. Just like I'm gonna kick yours." And with that, the two fighters ran at each other, creating large mountains in the sand with each of their foot steps. And when their arms clashed, ravines and crevices would crack through the ground, now rock. Robin jumped into the air and thrust his foot downards into Reece's face, making an earthquake boom across the world. At which point Reece thrust Robin off of his feet and punched down at his stomach, making a volcano explode in the distance, covering the world in the red firestorm of the gods most violent wrath.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Beast Boy lay unconscious on the ground, bruised and broken all over. Bits of Cyborg lay all over the living room, which had holes and scratches all across the fine stone. Cyborg himself was trying to fit his arms back on, while Raven had her eyes glowing black, trying to stop the whole building from toppling over from the chaos. The only person still fighting was Starfire, who was desperately trying to dodge Deathstroke's various attacks, while only able to fire a very small amount of starbolts, which were easily dodge by her skilled opponent. "Do you really think you have a chance against ME" Deathstroke said as he walked calmly towards his cornered opponent. "Because you really don't" Slade said as he threw a punch that shattered the cement wall.

"I am not trying" Starfire said quickly, being exhausted from the battle. "Just waiting"

"What for?" Slade said as his masked smile grew, wanting to see what weak surprise she had for him.

"Waiting for HIM" She said, gesturing with her head behind Deathstroke. He turned to see what she meant, and was thrown back by the black concrete wall that was Batman's fist.

"No one attacks me. And most certainly..." Batman said as Deathstroke pushed himself off the floor. "NO ONE attacks my SON" And Batman and Deathstroke sprang at each other, ready to fight for their sons.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

Alfred Pennyworth watched the whole thing unfold from the Bat-cave thanks to the highly sophisticated computer. Everything Robin and Reece saw, he saw. Everything Batman or Deathstroke saw, he saw. And he couldn't help himself from getting excited. He hadn't seen such a violent action movie in years. "I'll make popcorn."


End file.
